Sebastian Volz
January 17, 2026 – March 7, 2026
Nevertheless
FILIALE
With Nevertheless, Sebastian Volz presents a group of new paintings that can be understood as painterly translations of his drawing studies. The reduction in color emphasizes the proximity to their drawn predecessors.
The paintings show arrangements of figures, often in groups of four, which are related to each other: they merge into one another in an almost combative manner, repel each other, distance themselves and remain alone, strike static poses or are set in formation.
The relationship between the figures shows that Sebastian Volz's work explores the fundamental question of what constitutes human nature, what defines human existence, and, in particular, how humans behave within a (social) structure. With his new works, Sebastian Volz departs from the hyper-narrative style of his earlier works, yet continues to reveal a great deal of narrative through his figures. The torsos of the figures are kept in pure white, the oil paint is applied thickly with a palette knife, and the black outline clearly distinguishes the figure from the almost monotonous background. The painterly elaboration of the torso goes hand in hand with the narrative approach of the naked figures: flabby silhouettes with raised breasts, athletic bodies with broad weightlifting benches, defined six-packs, protruding buttocks that are thrust towards the viewer and do not really go together with the stilt-like arms and legs and the small, expressionless heads. Hyper-sexualization and body worship meet emptiness of content and can be understood as criticism, or at least as commentary: Never the less but always the more.
Nevertheless is Sebastian Volz's sixth solo exhibition at FILIALE. He graduated from the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe in 2021 and has been living in Vienna since 2023.
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